Abby Hodge, 13, dies in Kincumber house fire
Neighbours have spoken of the moments after a tragic house fire `exploded’ at Kincumber claiming the life of 13-year-old Abby Hodge.
Central Coast
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A 13-year-old girl who died in a house fire at Kincumber has been identified as Abby Hodge.
Emergency services were called to the house on Scaysbrook Drive about 12.30am on Wednesday after neighbours heard screaming followed by a large explosion.
On arrival police and fire fighters found the home well alight.
Family members including mother and father Rachel and David Reardon and two of their children, a boy, Will, aged 14 and a girl, Katrina, aged 7, were outside the home however their older sister Abby was unaccounted for.
Fire & Rescue NSW officers entered the home searching for the missing teenage girl and located her inside.
She was removed from the home and treated at the scene but sadly died on the way to hospital.
Early inquiries suggest the fire is not suspicious and was not a consequence of the storms that hit the Central Coast and Sydney Region overnight.
Neighbours reported hearing a large explosion and recounted the family’s horror at not being able to get back inside to save Abby.
Lynnett Hook, who lives behind the house, and her mother were among the first on scene and said firefighters’ efforts were hampered when they could not locate a hydrant.
“I thought it might have been a bomb and I rang the fire brigade and they didn’t seem to know about it,” Ms Hook said.
“They didn’t know which house and I was like `you’ll find it, it’s on fire’.”
Her mother said she felt helpless as neighbours tried desperately to find hoses.
“I just stood here crying, I didn’t know what to do.”